How developing a "seasoning" started a family tradition in our home!

 Papa Joe and his very good friend Charlie loved to grill meat. They would grill all the time! Papa Joe worked for Charlie at a company called Professional Formulators, Inc. PFI was a company that provided feed formulations for South Georgia farmers’ animals.

 

Because of their experience with mixing different formulations of animal feeds, Charlie and Papa Joe had the idea to mix formulas for seasonings they could use to grill their meat. They began using various combinations of peppers and salts with their outdoor grilling. My dad said he would catch them eating the meat off the grill as it was being cooked! They loved that hot, salty taste...not spicy hot, but temperature hot! My Papa Joe was never a spicy food proponent- he cared more about the flavor and taste of his meat!

I can also remember watching my dad and Papa Joe grilling and eating “off the grill”! They just couldn't wait. My husband and kids do it too! Can you relate?!

Papa Joe and Charlie went through a lot of trial and error for that specific, natural flavor they were looking for. They had quite a few different varieties of seasonings they had experimented with. The one ingredient they would definitely include was garlic, as it is a natural southern tradition and added seasoning to meats such as steak that are only on the grill for a short time. The variations of pepper flakes and kosher salts were additions that really gave the "pop" of flavor they had been looking for.

After Charlie passed, Papa Joe began mixing his own recipe for “Papa Joe's” by hand in buckets and then into a giant wheelbarrow! For these early Papa Joe’s Salt batches, he would drive over to Atlanta, as it was the only place he could find the ingredients he needed to purchase large bags of salts, pepper, and garlic. His final mixture would be the recipe we now use for the one and only “Papa Joe’s Salt Original.”

The family tradition had officially begun. Papa Joe would vacuum seal up bags of Papa Joe’s Salt and bring them to his family and friends at every visit. Papa Joe’s was now the seasoning of choice we used for every meal!

All of this mixing and experimentation… completely inspired by the necessity of grilling perfection!

My wish is for you all to be blessed with treasured memories & traditions!! Flavoring our meals with Papa Joe's Salt through the generations is a family tradition in our home that I hope will become one of your family traditions as well; inspiring positive and loving reflections through the years.

XO, Michelle